Garage A Trois

This was my first time seeing Garage A Trois since they replaced power-genius acid-jazz guitar-god Charlie Hunter with avant-garde golden-boy piano-prodigy Marco Benevento. I wasn't sure what to expect, especially considering that I was always 'so-so' on the few Benevento projects I had the opportunity to see. But I gotta hand it to him. Marco may have stole the show.

I'm not sure exactly why I was half expecting MB to be all over the place. If they can keep Skerik on a tight shock-collar, the brash young organ talent should be more than happy to stick to the script despite his flair for bragadociery. But if his improvisational flow is a garden hose, then Garage has put a thumb over half the spigot to make the concentrated stream burst forth with twice the force, and thrice the effectiveness. Benevento's solo's were truly electrifying. Mesmerizing. Every other adjective used to describe major motion pictures. Getting a primo spot on the balcony gave me a compelling view of his dancing fingers which tore through stratospheric scales and satanic modes at bullet-train speeds. By comparison, Marco shredding through octaves and sevenths makes lightening bolts look like molasses. My mind was effectively blown. Dancing ensued.

As for the rest of the crew? Well Stanton Moore is a figurehead for far more than all of apocalypse-era New Orleans music. He is an innovator of far more than the preferred drum method of percussion instructors around the country. He is a live and session favorite of--well, probably everybody. He smiles when he plays and makes the skins sing. And I'd like to note that if there ever was a modern jazz act dearer to my heart than Garage A Trois (as well as the aforementioned Mr. Hunter's albums), it would have to be the Stanton Moore Trio.

Skerik, whose awesome sax wrongdoings have echoed in the halls of Olympus as having been part of Colonel Les Claypool's Fearless Flying Frog Brigade, plays gymnast-tight bluesy lines and isn't afraid to even sit out for breaks while Marco dominates the higher registers. Hell, he's probably exhausted because his other band, The Dead Kenny G's, was the opening act and that's where Skerik does his real brutalities. At one point during the Gs' set, he actually beat-boxes into his sax mic and loops the effect for some hip-hop breakdowns. Meanwhile, the last Garage-man and also a member of the G's--percussionist Mike Dillon--does demonic things with the vibraphone and operates effects pedals and pads coming out the wozz. Mike D seems to represent the more inappropriate emotions that can be associated with instrumental music and I definitely wouldn't have it any other way.

I haven't had a chance to hear their new album, Power Patriot. But the two new tracks from their myspace are succulent, especially 'Germs'. Check that out, fast: http://www.myspace.com/garageatrois. There's not all that much else for me to say about these guys... get all their albums, see them live, Marco Benevento rocks, it's a continual cavalcade of Yes.